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Cooking With Anadi
12K subscribers · Greek yogurt dressing, tangy and creamy, no mayo needed
Quick and Healthy Creamy No Mayo Coleslaw Recipe
Hello dear reader! You’re here because you love a good coleslaw as much as I do! When I go to a casual fine dining restaurant, such as Swiss Chalet, I always order the extra creamy coleslaw. I’ll be the first to say that I have nothing against mayonnaise. In fact, I eat it quite regularly, and I love my homemade mayo recipe! The day I’m writing this, I actually made deviled eggs for lunch! Mayonnaise is an essential ingredient in my fridge, and I couldn’t live without it!
So why am I sharing this no mayo coleslaw? I’m sorry if I gave you a false impression that I have something against mayo! I really don’t!
In fact, I decided to make a coleslaw without mayo for the simple reason that I love mayo in my burgers! I load it up! Whether plain or used in my Spicy Aioli, mayo is pretty much a must-have with all of my burgers! But I don’t want a mayo overload just because I think the flavors and texture would get boring.
That’s where the Quick and Healthy Creamy Coleslaw comes in.
Sure, burgers and fries go great together, but as much as I love to make my Oven Baked Homemade Crispy French Fries as a side, even I want to have something different from time to time! Plus, I’ll admit that while the fries are EASY to make, they’re not fast. They take nearly an hour to bake in the oven!
If I’ve got some homemade burger buns waiting for me, I want to eat quickly! The longest part of having a burger and fries at home is waiting on the fries! You can easily make a patty and throw it on a pan, then assemble the burger, but waiting for your side to cook is just annoying when you’re ravenous! I love to have burgers for lunch, too, so fries just are out of the question at lunchtime unless I can really devote two hours to soak them, prep them, and bake them!
Another thing is that with posting food pictures as an “influencer”, we can’t always have the same side with every single burger picture! So what else is there to do? I know there are probably dozens of sides to have with burgers, but I’m just not putting in the work to be creative!
On a quest to figure out some alternative side dishes, I simply Googled “burger.” At the top of the results was a burger served with a side of coleslaw!
Ah ha! I know I love coleslaw at restaurants, so let’s just go for it! Again, as I said earlier, it was going to be mandatory for me to have mayo in my burger. I didn’t want my side to be too heavy, so I thought I’d lighten up my coleslaw.
Do you want the creaminess of a classic coleslaw but skip the mayo to balance out your meal? Or you just aren’t a fan of mayo? Then read on, because I think you’re going to love this quick and healthy coleslaw that’s just as creamy as the classic you know and love!
Can Coleslaw Be Healthy?▼
I believe that this recipe is the definition of a healthy coleslaw! While I don’t diligently track my nutrition, I do believe in a balanced lifestyle. This is just my opinion, but I wouldn’t consider a traditional coleslaw “unhealthy.” Yes, mayonnaise has some fat, but if you serve your coleslaw with a light main, then I don’t see what’s wrong with a little bit of coleslaw! Cabbage and carrots are the star of coleslaw, and they’re vitamin-rich veggies! As with pretty much anything, making it yourself will be the healthiest route, whether or not you’re following the no mayo recipe or the classic coleslaw. You know exactly what’s going in there, and there will be no added sugars or preservatives.
For this no-mayo coleslaw recipe, we could argue that it is “healthier” than traditional coleslaw. I’ll say this because you get a protein boost from the Greek yogurt, which is the substitute for the mayonnaise! Protein is very satiating, so this will add some body to your coleslaw. Otherwise, we’ve got nutritious cabbage and carrots in our coleslaw, a few other ingredients, and that’s it! All natural! So enjoy this delicious and healthy coleslaw for any occasion!
Tools Needed
Ingredients in Healthy Coleslaw
You’ll see that this is a very short ingredient list. Let’s get to it!
- Carrot
- Cabbage
- Greek yogurt
- Lemon juice
- Red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper
How to Cut a Cabbage▼
When you’re looking for a cabbage, you may be dumbfounded by how massive a head is! I find that the organic cabbage is always smaller than the conventional, so as I’m a family of two I opt for the smallest cabbage. Regardless, it’s still quite huge! How do you approach this thing if you’ve never cut a cabbage before?
The easiest way will be to first the cabbage head in half, make sure cut across top to bottom, the bottom being the stem.
Then, lay the cabbage flat and cut across the layers with a sharp knife to about 1/4 inch thickness.
Tips to Prepare an Excellent Healthy Coleslaw
Here are a couple of tips so that you have the creamiest and most delicious coleslaw possible without the mayo!
- Slice the vegetables thinly or use pre-shredded coleslaw veggie mix for this recipe.
- Make it ahead of time if possible and refrigerate for a few minutes. Chilled coleslaw tastes the best!
- Season the dressing generously to make sure the cabbage and carrots are seasoned as well.
How to Make Healthy Coleslaw Without Mayo
You can make this healthy creamy coleslaw in just three easy steps! For the FULL, PRINTABLE RECIPE, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post so you can save the recipe for later!
Prepare the dressing by whisking together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Then add cabbage and carrots and toss well with the help of a pair of tongs.
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve!
Can I Make this Coleslaw Ahead of Time?▼
For sure you can! I think people make coleslaw to make a big batch and have it on hand as a convenient and delicious side that you can just grab and go!
Storing Healthy Creamy Coleslaw
To store this quick and healthy creamy coleslaw, add any leftovers in an airtight container or mason jar and refrigerate. I’ve made a big batch of this coleslaw and it lasted nearly a week! However, for optimal freshness I probably wouldn’t recommend you keep it for that long! This quick and healthy creamy coleslaw will last 3-4 days if stored properly in the fridge.
How to Serve Healthy No Mayo Coleslaw
When I had all that leftover coleslaw after experimenting and filming the recipe, I had to get creative! But this forced me to discover so many ways you can serve coleslaw! Here are some ideas:
- With burgers. As I do in the video for the Spinach Turkey Burgers! I’ve also made coleslaw with some awesome pulled chicken burgers. Yum!
- In wraps & sandwiches. I made plenty of wraps with coleslaw! It adds some awesome texture and a nice crunch to your wrap!
- In a buddha bowl. At the time of writing this recipe, I was asked by an Instagram follower to create a buddha bowl. I’ll share something with you - back at my restaurant days, I made buddha bowls all the time! I’ve never made one for myself at home before, however! For some easy, creamy veggies, it was easy to just throw in some coleslaw to my bowl, along with many other delicious add-ins!
- With rotisserie chicken and/or ribs: I believe I first had coleslaw at St Hubert, so I associate it with some good old rotisserie chicken at casual fine dining restaurants! It’s an awesome side with the fries!
This coleslaw is also delicious piled onto a cheesy jacket potato.
The Dressing Is Four Things - and What Is Not In It
Most coleslaw dressing is mayonnaise with sugar stirred into it. This one is not, and the list is short enough to check at a glance: 2 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. That is the entire dressing.
There is no honey in it and no sugar of any kind, no olive oil, no dijon mustard and no whole grain mustard - and no apple cider vinegar either. The acidity comes from lemon juice and red wine vinegar together, which lands sharper and cleaner than cider vinegar would. Whisk the four together in a small bowl before the vegetables go anywhere near them.
For substitutions: sour cream stands in for the Greek yogurt at the same ratio and comes out slightly tangier, and plain yogurt works if you strain it first for a thicker texture. Lime juice replaces the lemon at an equal amount for something a touch more tart, and if white wine vinegar is what you have, use 1 tablespoon rather than 2 because it is sharper. Sherry vinegar swaps for the red wine vinegar with a nuttier edge. Prep time is 10 minutes and so is the total time, because nothing gets cooked.
Cabbage, Shredding, and Why It Travels Better Than Mayo Slaw
One cup of shredded cabbage and one cup of shredded carrots, and the ratio matters more than the variety. Green cabbage is the standard and gives the most crunchy cabbage per bite. Red cabbage - sold as purple cabbage in some shops - behaves exactly the same way and looks far better on a plate, though it will tint the dressing pink within an hour. A mix of the two is the nicest option of the three.
Shredding your own cabbage takes about five of the ten minutes. A mandoline gives the thinnest, most even shreds and is worth using if you own one; a sharp knife and a little patience does the same job. A bag of coleslaw mix is an entirely reasonable shortcut and turns this into a five-minute recipe - bagged coleslaw is usually cabbage and carrot already in roughly the right proportion, so a 2-cup bag replaces both ingredients.
Toss everything in a large bowl using tongs rather than a spoon so the shreds stay separate, then chill it in a covered container until you are ready to serve.
Here is the practical advantage of a Greek yogurt coleslaw over a mayonnaise one: it copes better with sitting out on a table. That makes it a low-stress side dish for cookouts and potlucks, where a mayo slaw is the bowl everyone eyes nervously after an hour in the sun - though the usual two-hour rule still applies to both. At 38 calories a serving across 4 servings it is light enough to pile on generously, which is why this healthy coleslaw recipe works so well heaped onto fish tacos and pulled pork sandwiches rather than just sitting beside them.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Creamy coleslaw without the mayo! Made with Greek yogurt, this quick and healthy dressing delivers all the richness you love with a lighter twist. Perfect as a side or topping.
No-cook
Rate this recipe ✦
10 min
Prep
10 min
Total
4
servings
makes 2 cups
easy
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
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Instructions
- 1
Prepare the dressing by whisking together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
- 2
Then add the cabbage and carrots and toss well with the help of a pair of tongs
Then add the cabbage and carrots and toss well with the help of a pair of tongs
- 3
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Nutrition per serving
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Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
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